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Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a 1968 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Inspired by the Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear try to convince him into leaving the jungle before the evil tiger Shere Khan arrives. The early versions of both the screenplay and the soundtrack followed Kipling's work more closely, with a dramatic, dark, and sinister tone which Disney did not want in his family film, leading to writer Bill Peet and composer Terry Gilkyson being replaced. The casting employed famous actors and musicians Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders and Louis Prima, as well as Disney regulars such as Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O'Malley and Verna Felton, and the director's son, Bruce Reitherman, as Mowgli. The Jungle Book was released on October 18, 1968 to positive reception, with much acclaim to its soundtrack, featuring five songs by the Sherman Brothers and one by Gilkyson, "The Bare Necessities". The film grossed over $73 million in the United States in its first release, and as much again from two re-releases. After the film's success, Disney later released a live-action remake and a theatrical sequel, The Jungle Book 2. Plot Cast * Bruce Reitherman provided the voice of Mowgli, who is the main character of the film. Mowgli is an orphaned boy, commonly referred to as "man-cub" by the other characters. * Phil Harris voiced Baloo, a sloth bear who leads a Mowgli's labeled life and believes in letting the good things in life come by themselves. * Sebastian Cabot voiced Bagheera, a serious black panther (melanistic leopard) who is determined to take Mowgli's carefree back to the village and disapproves of Baloo's carefree approach to life. * Louis Prima voiced King Louie. King Louie is an ape who wants to be a human, and offers to let Mowgli stay in the jungle (by bribing him with bananas) if Mowgli shows him the secret of "Man's Red Flower" (fire), though why he wants it is unknown. * George Sanders voiced Shere Khan the bengal tiger, who wants to kill Mowgli. For this reason the Wolf Council votes to send Mowgli away. * Sterling Holloway voiced Kaa the Indian python. Shere Khan's victim, tree Kaa is determined to catch and eat Mowgli before does. * J. Pat O'Malley...Colonel Hathi the Indian elephant/Buzzie the Vulture * Verna Felton voiced Winifred, Colonel Hathi's wife. It was Felton's last film role, with her dying one day before the death of Walt Disney, during the film's production. * Clint Howard voiced Junior, Colonel Hathi's son. * Chad Stuart...Flaps the Vulture * Lord Tim Hudson...Dizzie the Vulture * John Abbott...Akela the Indian Wolf * Ben Wright...Father Wolf * Darleen Carr...Shanti * Leo De Lyon...Flunkey the Baboon * Bill Lee...Shere Khan's singing voice * Hal Smith...The Slob Elephant * Terry-Thomas...Elephants' singing voices * Digby Wolfe...Ziggy the Vulture Releases Main article: The Jungle Book (video) Category:1968 Category:Walt Disney Productions Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios Category:Animated films Category:1967 Category:1998 Re-Release Category:Top 10 Scariest Disney Moments winners